Anti-immigration protest on Aungier Street 

The busy city-centre artery has been brought to a standstill due to an anti-immigration protests.

Up to 20 people attended a protest and blocked traffic last week against the opening of an Aungier Street building being used to house asylum seekers.  

The Liberty was on the scene of the protest on Wednesday, February 1st, around the 5pm rush-hour outside the Staircase building, at 21 Aungier Street. Sixty male asylum seekers arrived to the building last week.  

The building was previously used by Focus Ireland to house homeless people, but it fell into disrepair. 

Protesters said they were angry about the way the situation has been handled.

“I want answers from the Government. Why are they putting these people into an area with no consultation to the local community,” Mary O’Gorman, a local resident, told The Liberty.  

Protesters chanted “No Documents, No Entry” – after recent reports that some asylum-seekers have presented themselves at immigration with “false or no documentation”.  

“We have welcomed people from different countries to this area for many years. We want to welcome people and try help them, but these men came to this street in the early hours of the morning,” another protester said. “It all feels so secretive and all we want is clarity of who these men are,” she added. 

“Between the space of the two set of traffic lights we have five homeless shelters,” a protester said. “This street is at breaking point and there are no services for these people to go.” 

Several shop-owners urged locals to protest peacefully outside Leinster House rather than at the accommodation.

“Leave them alone, let them be,” one man shouted from his shop door. 

Gardaí were in attendance for the one-hour long protest. 

There were mixed reactions from people passing by the protest.  

On his way home from work, Josh Hogan said, “We are seeing a rise of these hateful protests across Dublin at the moment. It’s really frightening. 

“These protesters have no evidence that these men have no documents. I really do believe that it’s not about that but something far more evil. This street alone has so much diversity and a mix of culture. It’s heartbreaking to see this happening to our community,” he said. 

The protesters said that they will return to the site.